Karmen Pedaru was born on 10 May 1990 in Kehra, Estonia. Born into an athletic family, Pedaru became interested in sports at a very early age. From the time she was six, Pedaru played a variety of sports, including basketball, soccer and handball. She played goalkeeper on the Estonian national football team for a year before she quit to pursue modeling.She was discovered in 2005, at the age of fifteen, at a drama theater in Tallinn. Shortly after, she signed with Next Models and appeared in an editorial for Teen Vogue. Her debut came when she walked for Christopher Kane during the spring 2007 season.